The first 23 banners of the Veterans Banner Program will hang in Moose Jaw's downtown core this November, honouring local veterans, educating community members, students, and citizens on their names and faces, and promoting Remembrance for the entire month.
Counsellor Crystal Froese, who sits on the City of Moose Jaw Heritage Advisory Committee, reported on the Veteran Banners Program during the regular meeting of city council on Oct. 23.
"I just wanted to draw everyone's attention to the veterans banners project, the banners are actually going to be put up on Main Street from Manitoba to Cordova Avenue. There's 23 veterans that we're going to be honouring this fall, which is pretty incredible," Froese told council.
"You're going to be seeing the banners go up the first week in November," Froese said. "There's a lot of information that was provided, you're going to see the banners up on our website with a little bio of each veteran, as well. So, even though you can see them on Main Street, you can see more in-depth information, including their rank, any awards that they've had, and a little bit of history the families have provided."
Froese said Stella Richards of the Heritage Advisory Committee took the lead on the project, and also extended thanks to advisory committee chair John Bye, members Janie Fries, Dave Wentworth, and Doug Young, and committee support clerk Natasha Oegema. The committee also co-ordinated extensively with Derek Blais, director of parks and recreation.
Each banner will hang for the month of November for a term of three years, after which they are returned to their original sponsor. There are a maximum of 40 banner placements available. The Heritage Advisory Committee will be responsible for the cleaning and storage of the banner for the three-year term.
Complete information on the program, including how to apply, is available on the City's website at moosejaw.ca/veteranbanners.
The website explains that a veteran is "any person who is currently serving or who has honourably served in the Canadian Armed Forces, the Commonwealth, or its wartime allies, or as a Peace Officer in a special duty area or on a special duty operation, or who has served in the Merchant Navy or Ferry Command during wartime."
The person must have a connection to the Moose Jaw area, and living veterans must give permission for the banner to be displayed.
Questions about the banner program should be directed to Stella Richards at dsrichards9@gmail.com.
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